Monsanto will appeal French court’s poisoning verdict

Today’s French idiomatic expression of the day: Avoir le cafard. As in, “Monsanto a le cafard aujourd’hui.” (Translation: “Monsanto has the blues today.”)

There’s a reason for the agricultural giant to be down in the dumps. Yesterday, a court in Lyon, France, ruled that the company is responsible for chemically poisoning a 47-year-old French farmer, who claims he began suffering neurological problems—including memory loss, headaches and stammering—after he accidentally inhaled Lasso, one of the company’s weed killers, in 2004. The farmer says Monsanto didn’t provide adequate warnings about the health dangers of the product on the label. Lasso was later banned in France in 2007.

Although other farmers have attempted to sue Monsanto for similar adverse reactions to Lasso, this is the first such case to reach court in France. Monsanto, however, wants to make sure it’s the last.

“Monsanto is going to appeal this verdict. We are disappointed by the court’s decision,” said Yann Fichet, head of institutional relations at Monsanto France.

According to Thomson Reuters, Monsanto’s appeal could take up to a year to be heard.